Q-measures and betweenness centrality in a collaboration network : a case study of the field of informetricsQ-measures and betweenness centrality in a collaboration network : a case study of the field of informetrics

Author

Guns, Raf

Liu, Yu Xian

Mahbuba, Dilruba

Faculty/Department

Faculty of Social Sciences. Instructional and Educational Sciences

Publication type

article

Publication

2011Amsterdam
, 2011

Subject

Computer. Automation

Source (journal)

Scientometrics: an international journal for all quantitative aspects of the science of science and science policy. - Amsterdam

We study global and local Q-measures, as well as betweenness centrality, as indicators of international collaboration in research. After a brief review of their definitions, we introduce the concepts of external and internal inter-group geodesics. These concepts are applied to a collaboration network of 1129 researchers from different countries, which is based on publications in bibliometrics, informetrics, webometrics, and scientometrics (BIWS in short) from the period 19902009. It is thus illustrated how international collaboration (among authors from different countries) in BIWS is carried out. Our results suggest that average scores for local Q-measures are typically higher, indicating a relatively low degree of international collaboration in BIWS. The dominating form of international collaboration is bilateral, whereas multilateral collaboration is relatively rare in the field of BIWS. We also identify and visualize the most important global and local actors. Dividing the entire period in four 5-year periods, it is found that most international collaboration in the field has happened in the last time slice (20052009). A comparison of the different time slices reveals the non-linear growth of the indicators studied and the international expansion of the field.